


Shattered

by Averni



Category: Bleach
Genre: AU, Action, Dark, Deathfic, F/F, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Kink, M/M, Mystery, OOC, PWP, Songfic, f!Ichimaru, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-06-10 00:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6930628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Averni/pseuds/Averni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a game: a keyphrase and 20 VERY short (they are about Hitsugaya after all) stories in 20 different genres that must have the phrase.<br/>Each one is in a separate chapter and all of them are more or less centered around GinHitsu pairing, with some additional ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Action

**Author's Note:**

> So the phrase was "(innumerable) pieces of shattered/shaterring glass around him/them" and boy it's not the easiest one to incorporate in a short story, so I modified it at times to suit the narrative.  
> Most of these are about an already established relationship and some won't probably make any sense, but oh well. I can never get enough of this pairing, so suffer with me. 
> 
> My usual disclaimer: English is my second language, feel free to mention any linguistic fuck ups in the comments.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.

The impact was violent, if not for the icy wings he might have easily shattered his spine or some other part of his body on a massive window he smashed into. Instead he was lying on an office floor, relatively unharmed, with innumerable shards of glass around him, in his hair and clothes, scraping and piercing skin. The captain snarled getting up in one swift motion and waving off concerned-looking Ichimaru (which basically meant he was grinning a bit less than usual, but Toushiro long ago learned his tells). He was alive and ready for action, and that hollow was so going to have their ass handed to them.


	2. AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.  
> 

Gin doesn’t particularly care about his new grumpy co-worker at the art gallery. The only thing they seem to have in common is that they both are equally disliked by the other staff members, both seemingly keeping their jobs due to their vast knowledge of art history, but severely lacking in selling skills, either by creeping their customers the hell out or just grumping at them till kingdom come. Well that, and maybe albinism.

So Gin doesn’t have any particular emotions when the short colleague lectures their co-workers boss included on work safety regulations or some such ridiculous topic (adorable as it might be). He doesn’t care when he stumbles upon the shorty’s dissertation (admirable and insightful as it might be). His eyes absolutely don’t linger when the white unruly locks catch the morning sunlight and his stomach doesn’t flip when the teal eyes enthusiastically light up with a new idea (aesthetically pleasing as it might be). Gin’s a good liar, and to himself - especially. 

No, the moment Gin realises how utterly and completely fucked he is when he’s sitting awkwardly on the floor, innumerable pieces of shattered glass around him. Toushiro asks if he’s alright first, of course, then looks at his ridiculously lost expression, and instead of giving a well-deserved lecture he suddenly snorts, and then can’t keep his laughter to himself anymore. His co-worker, who never even smiled throughout the year, much less laughed, is smiling openly and sincere (even if that’s at his misfortune, and okay he might have backflipped trying to catch that unreasonably expensive vase), and Gin only thinks to himself: “Well. Shit.”


	3. Gen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part

Toushiro looks at the silhouette of a tall figure in the doorway. There is no doubt who that is, Gin has a distinctive frame. The captain makes no attempt to attract his attention though, despite his own urge to do so. He’s pretty sure that Matsumoto standing surrounded by innumerable pieces of shattered glass covering the floor and another empty bottle in her hand are indicative enough that Ichimaru’s not getting off the hook so easily. It’s not a sword yet, so there probably won’t be any casualties this time.


	4. PWP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suck at writing sex, so this isn't even a PWP. But be warned anyway.

“Did you miss this too, Shiro-chan?” Gin whispers next to his ear and Toushiro shudders, closing his eyes for a split second. He has a bit too much self-control to outright whimper, but he’s pretty close to it. Instead he grabs Ichimaru by the collar and drags him closer. Saying that he missed this would be a huge understatement. Gin chuckles, not trying to resist and then his lips and tongue are on Toushiro’s neck and he’s moaning quietly, making fingers in his hair clench just a tiny bit stronger. 

The captain notices in the corner of his eye some broken furniture and innumerable pieces of shattered glass around them covering the floor, and he vaguely remembers the fight and the reason he came here. He won’t be arresting Ichimaru anytime soon, he has to admit, as his hands drag Gin’s haori from his shoulders.


	5. Deathfic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major character death.

Toushiro somehow already knows by the moment he sees his lieutenant. It’s no relief to hear that he tried to kill Aizen, that he saved Matsumoto and some Karakura kids. For all he cares, and it is such a horrible thing to wish, Ichimaru could have in earnest supported Aizen’s megalomania and stayed alive - it would still be better than… this. 

Aizen hurting Hinamori made him furious, made him hurt to a point of losing himself in an overwhelming icy inferno of wrath. Seeing Matsumoto so hurt in mourning made him hurt for her, helplessly wishing he could make it go away. Knowing that Gin was dead… Toushiro looks at innumerable pieces of shattered glass around him - remains of a jug from the table - his own bruised hands, a tiny layer of frost covering every inch of the hospital room - and feels absolutely nothing. The same way he was going to feel for decades to come.


	6. Hurt/Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: PTSD, panic attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so I recently reread the chapter where Gin dies and found out I totally forgot that Aizen fucking ripped his right hand off, which is ouch. So my headcanon for this is that Gin managed to survive, but didn’t go to Orihime out of pure paranoia and eventually eloped with Toushiro or something, so he still doesn’t have his arm and uses a prosthetic

His hand hurts sometimes. Phantom pain, not real, he knows. But when Gin wakes up drenched in cold sweat, clenching the stump with his left hand, trembling and utterly terrified - he can still feel the blood streaming from his shoulder, see the empty eyes of his former captain who should be dead, why isn’t he dead! Gin finds something nearby, throws it at this creature, scrambles away pressing his back to the wall and breathing heavily, trying to stop the blood from the wound.

Shortly after there is a cold touch on his shoulder, and Gin’s vision clears up, red blur and panic slowly fading away. He sees their rumpled bed, floor covered with tiny pieces of shattered glass from his bedside lamp and Toushiro sitting in front of him in his usual pijamas, gently applying his icy touch to the stump and looking at him with his big understanding eyes - no sign of pity Gin would hate so much. He does understand, after all. 

“I’m here, Gin,” Toushiro says his usual phrase. “Let’s go make some tea, alright?”

And Gin only nods and smiles unevenly, still shaken, but now feeling tenderness creeping up on him with the first lights of morning.


	7. Songfic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.
> 
> Song used: The Cranberries "Shattered"

“I'm trying to control myself  
So please don't stand in my way”

Captain Hitsugaya is firm in his convictions. He tries not to outright kill Kira when he gets in their fight with Ichimaru, but he doesn’t extend the same courtesy towards his former lover. No matter their previous trysts, he hurt Hinamori, so he must pay.

“I don't like you, don't compromise”

It’s not like there was anything between them to start with. Hitsugaya never liked Ichimaru’s way of talking or the things he said, he wouldn’t want to ever associate with someone so mean spirited. It was for the thrill, the adrenaline, he reasoned. Ichimaru’s whole presence forbode danger and Toushiro was drawn to it. What Ichimaru himself got out of it he wasn’t sure and didn’t want to find out.

“And I'm not very fond of you, and your lies”

And yet it hurts. When the shock of Aizen’s betrayal wanes and cold fury inside him gives way it leaves a strange sort of sadness and yearning behind. They never made any promises or confessions, it was always about physical satisfaction and nothing more. Hitsugaya resolutely convinces himself that he feels for Matsumoto, that it’s simply sympathy confusing his senses. 

“Shattered by your weakness  
Shattered by your smile”

He sees Ichimaru on the battlefield of Karakura, wearing his usual smile and it hurts to see him next to the loathsome traitor. It wasn’t really ambiguous before, but seeing it confirmed again breaks something in the captain this time. 

And then it doesn’t matter. He sees Ichimaru’s body among the debris and tiny pieces of shattered glass from the buildings. Everyone left to sort out the aftermath of the battle, and now there are only Matsumoto and him next to a lifeless and mangled corpse. The copse that, against all odds and logic suddenly takes a shuddering breath. 

“And all the things that seemed once to be  
So important to me  
Seem so trivial now that I can see”

It takes months but Gin finally recovers from his injuries. It will take more time to piece the shards of their lives together, but Captain Hitsugaya is strong in his conviction that they are going to make it work.

“I've waited for the longest time  
This is what I wanted in my way”


	8. Humour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part. Crack crossover I guess.   
> Also: I'm hilarious, I know.

Fear was something captain Hitsugaya didn’t experience often in his line of work. He was strong enough to take on almost any hollow or arrancar there was, and their variations long since stopped being interesting. 

So when his mobile rings and there’s no number on the display, he calmly picks up the phone, listens to the caller and then grumbles irritably: “Like I have seven days! Can you hurry up, maybe?” 

His phone only cracked in response, its screen suddenly crushed in tiny pieces of shattered glass on the ground. How petty, Hitsugaya thought, unimpressed.


	9. Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Past major character death, I guess? It's all vague.

Hitsugaya wasn’t sure if his night walks in the Rukongai actually helped him with his insomnia or it was simply a thing to distract himself. No matter how it started, every night he would go to the river bank and would see a pale figure in white yukata, sitting pensively near the water, surrounded by innumerable shards of glass, glittering in the moonlight. Sometimes it disappeared the moment Toushiro blinked, sometimes it lingered letting him come closer before it faded away. 

It may be a vision, a dream or just a plain old illusion (and doesn’t Captain hate the word now, even years after Aizen’s defeat). He is cautious and always on his guard, yet drawn to the figure, and one night it lets him come close enough to see the fox mask on its face.


	10. Genderswap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.   
> I'm not a fan of genderbending generally, so I prefer to see this Ichimaru as a trans woman that looks exactly the same as the canon one.

Gin’s not a pleasant person to be around. Nor is she a conventionally attractive type. Of course, Hitsugaya is not a saint himself, but Ichimaru would’ve expected him to end up with some sweetheart like Momo-chan or even an all around impressive woman like Rangiku. To her, they seem like exquisite glass sculptures, complicated and whole, while she in this metaphor would be a jagged mess of shattered glass strewn around the floor and cruelly sharp to anyone foolish enough to try to piece them together. Toushiro still tries, and it’s a wonder in itself. 

She thinks she understands, though, when she sees his inner world covered in icy shards, big and small, angled and flat. They are bone-chillingly cold, but not even remotely sharp when Gin starts picking them up.


	11. OOC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.

“Kira trusted you so much,” Rangiku admonished in a sorrowful voice. “Why would you betray him like that?”

Gin took a deep breath, looking around the ruins he and Aizen left in their wake, all the concrete and innumerable shards of broken glass around them, and simply sighed.

“You know what, you’re right. Fuck this invasion, fuck Aizen and fuck this revenge thing in particular. Let’s grab Izuru and Toushiro and get drunk. These assholes have Kurosakis after all.”

And all was well and nobody died. Except for Aizen. Who died a lot.


	12. Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: gore, violence

Gin never felt much when killing someone. That did make him a valuable asset when Aizen didn’t want to get his hands dirty or needed to look especially innocent for an occasion. There was blood, there was flesh, viscera and bones - and there was a purpose to it. A third seat in the fifth division, a witness silenced, a scapegoat framed. It was mostly utilitarian, not unlike the rest of Soul Society usually solved their problems. He made people see him as malicious and eager to spill someone’s blood just for the fun of it, but Ichimaru himself never was particularly enjoying inflicting pain without solid reason. With a reason though…

The same people who harassed Rangiku and spit in their faces, kicked him in the ribs till he couldn’t breathe anymore - oh how he relished the sight of them coughing up their own lungs filled with blood later. The Council of 46 who made a young boy fight his friend to death just because they were unfortunate enough to have the same sword - Ichimaru enjoyed killing each and every one of them. And even sweet Hinamori, who betrayed her Shiro-chan in a second once she saw the phony proof, who didn’t deserve this devotion Toushiro harboured for her. Who the small captain still tried to protect while in the same breath condemning Ichimaru himself. Ichimaru revelled in her anguish even if it added to his own hurt. 

He wasn’t as conceited as Tousen to think of this as justice. It was vengeance, revenge, vindication he was after and most exciting of all was always to see its reflection in Сaptain Hitsugaya’s eyes. When freezing reiatsu was lashing the sky and ice shattered like glass in a myriad of tiny pieces around them, when all the fury and pain and bloodlust told Gin that they were of the same kind.


	13. Kink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: emotional manipulation (a bit)
> 
> Kinks in question: jealousy, hair pulling, biting

It’s amusing to Gin how desperately Captain Hitsugaya tries to be noble about this, and miserably fails all the same. He has some trust issues (something Gin can relate to) and he’s surprisingly a jealous type. He tries not to bristle when Ichimaru mentions Aizen or tries his best to be friendly with Izuru (although most baffling of all he’s not miffed about him spending time with Rangiku). 

He never says it outright, but after he sees Kira laughing at something Gin said, Toushiro is a bit rougher than usual. He presses Ichimaru into a wall with his reiatsu (a glass pitcher breaks from pressure, the floor is covered in innumerable shards of shattered glass, but Toushiro doesn’t even notice, his eyes are on Gin), he pulls on his hair, bites on his neck leaving bruises. Every time Gin’s breath catches, he moans and leans into the touch. And maybe next time his flirt with Kira is even more obvious.


	14. Femslash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring: Matsumoto x Hinamori
> 
> No warnings for this part.

Hitsugaya honestly has no idea how he hasn’t noticed before. But here they were: Hinamori same shade of red his face currently was, Matsumoto giggling shamelessly and he, frozen in place in a ridiculous pose as if still trying to catch the vase he accidently knocked off the table when he walked in on those two kissing, of all things. 

“What...” he blinked, feeling that he should probably get properly all brotherly and protective but not quite finding the incentive for it. He only stood awkwardly surrounded by shattered pieces of glass on the floor and thought to himself: Well, if Hinamori was brave enough to admit her crush on Matsumoto, surely he can find some courage to finally ask the creepy bastard out.


	15. Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.

His temper is as short as he is, and everybody in his squad and the entirety of Gotei knows that when Captain Hitsugaya is angry you can expect anything from broken windows to iced over ground. Yet this time there is no ice and no innumerable shards of glass covering the ground around him. When Ichimaru says that all good things should come to an end he feels angry and betrayed but there’s only emptiness in the place where his breath should be.


	16. Crossover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crossover with Mass Effect universe.
> 
> No warnings for this part.

The damn squirt slammed into a straight line of mercenaries with a biotic charge like a bowling ball, following it up with a nova blast for good measure. They had no chance even to realize what happened before they were lying unconscious on the floor, the captain grinning up at Gin behind the glass of his helmet. 

Gin only sighed with amused exasperation looking at Hitsugaya through the scope of his sniper rifle. He honestly couldn’t be mad at the annoying brat for taking all of his marks when he smiled at him like this, his bright eyes shining and sharp like shards of glass in the sun.


	17. UST

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UST aka Unreleased sexual tension
> 
> No warnings for this part.

It’s probably unhealthy - the way Hitsugaya tenses every time Ichimaru is near. The way he wants to catch the end of his shihakusho’s sleeve, to touch the pale skin and trace the veins on the skinny muscular arm. To press his lips to lavender white hair, so thin and brittle, like innumerable pieces of shattered glass. He never does - why would Ichimaru want to tangle with a grumpy captain who looks like a child?

Gin knows it’s not healthy. The way he follows every movement of the captain, notes the miniscule movements of the strong jaw when he’s angry, wants to press his fingers and lips to it and then follow down and down. It’s probably best to keep away. Why would Сaptain Hitsugaya want to tangle with a creepy colleague who can’t keep neither his eyes nor his malicious wit to himself? 

And yet something possesses Gin to catch the shihakusho’s sleeve when Hitsugaya passes him on an evening Rukongai patrol, and he’s not disappointed to receive an anticipating shiver in return.


	18. Detective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings fro this part.

Detective work is not something the tenth squad normally does, but he’s the only high-ranking officer in the vicinity and… and if he is perfectly honest with himself - distraction is very welcome right now. This would be a matter for Gensei police if the victim wasn’t actually a shinigami. 

Hitsugaya carefully examines the body on the floor, broken furniture and a myriad of bloody glass shards surrounding it. It’s a stab wound, likely from a sword. There are no strong reiatsu sources nearby, but it’s probably safe to assume that the culprit isn’t a mere hollow. An arrancar maybe, but those weren’t too good at concealing their reiatsu. Hitsugaya though had a gut feeling that it wasn’t an arrancar either. He knew something was off about the body, and when the autopsy results came from the fourth, he knew what to look for. Apparently the victim was a known Aizen associate, and the wound contained an extremely potent snake poison.


	19. Dystopia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.

Aizen won. He should be glad, perhaps. Rangiku and Izuru and… everyone who mattered were alive. Imprisoned, but relatively unharmed. Both Kurosakis and most of the Gotei 13 were not so lucky, but well… Gin could only care for so many individuals at once without ripping hair from his head. He wasn’t sure if it was cowardice or cold reality that stayed his hand and let Aizen take the lives of those who were weaker and the throne he had no business sitting on. He only knew that Shinso’s bankai wouldn’t be enough anymore. Maybe he was deluding himself and it never would have been. Fact is - Ichimaru stood on the third secure level of the Maggots’ nest still in position of power and still very much the right hand of the Shikonkai’s Ruler Supreme. 

“You again. What do you want, bastard?” Hitsugaya’s usual anger was almost gone from his voice, now he mostly sounded tired and hollow like shards of glass scraping the metal. He still stood proud and unbroken behind the bars of his cell, indignant in his self-righteousness - all the things Gin so much loved and hated about him.

“I came to tell you a story, Shiro-chan,” Hitsugaya made a face at the naming but only gave him a look of annoyed impatience, so he continued. “A story about an old fox who wanted to kill the moon but needed a white bunny’s help to make the poisonous rice cake. It’s a rather unorthodox retelling, you’ll like it.”

After a beat Hitsugaya’s eyes widened in understanding, already filled with reluctant hope. Gin thought for a moment to crush it just like he did with Rukia on a Sokyoku bridge. Toushiro wasn’t her, unfortunately. It appears the fox needed this bunny after all.


	20. Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this part.

They are bad at feelings. Toushiro knows that, Gin knows that, probably anyone familiar with either of them knows that too. They never felt the need to actually confess anything to each other: for lack of trust, embarrassment, fear of rejection or aversion to intimacy - you name it. Doesn’t mean that there wasn’t anything. Still none of them expect it of each other so it’s a complete shock when Toushiro (of all people) blurts it out.

It’s not a life and death situation with tons of adrenalin to impair his judgment, neither it is an after sex euphoria. They’re just sitting on a bench in the park, feeding pigeons half-heartedly - a pedestrian and completely unremarkable scene in retired shinigamis’ life. 

“I love you, you know that?” Toushiro says suddenly, looking half-mortified half-sheepish.

Gin blinks at him, startled for a second, and then he starts laughing. Ignoring Toushiro’s clearly affronted expression he shakes his head, still giggling a little.

“Oh, dear. We’ve been living together for seven years now, Toushiro. I think I have a pretty good idea. Same as you do,” Gin finally chuckles and kisses Toushiro affectionately.


End file.
